HOW TO PREPARE- MATERIALS
Physical materials: I printed out several full-page flyers and drew a couple huge posters to both carry around during the day and use at Candidates ' Open Forum a couple days before Convention. I used Canva for designing my flyers and markers for my posters. These were done on my own. Digital materials: I created a website and an Instagram account with prepared posts weeks before Convention. I made my website using Wix, which is beginner-friendly, including different tabs to show my experiences, platform, and past works. For my Instagram, I used Canva to design my posts. These were also done on my own. The speech: I started writing my campaign speech a couple weeks before Convention and then edited it. I made sure to include first my qualifications and then explained how that tied into my campaign goals if elected. Focusing on my goals, I made sure that all of my ideas were feasible and implementable.
CAMPAIGN ANALYSIS
Campaigning at Nationals: I campaigned for all the days following the Nominations Committee Meeting, attending as many different events as I could to meet people. I think talking to other people is crucial for getting your name out there, along with attending the mixers. My state also helped me campaign a lot, handing out my flyers and carrying around my campaign posters during their activities, such as Certamen. Favorite part of campaigning: It was very exciting for me getting to know other fellow JCLers from across the country. Campaigning gave me an opportunity to open up to others and talk about common interests, going beyond just the basics of my campaign. I found people there who I would later connect with even after Convention. JCLers are always very supportive and curious. I remember getting encouragement from multiple people after the GA III speech, which is one of the most nerve-wracking parts of campaigning. What you did well: Explaining my campaign to a multitude of people anywhere I go was crucial for my campaign. Everyone I met and talked to was very interested and attentive, listening closely to my campaign ideas and asking questions! What you could have improved: In terms of what I would do differently, I would have made smaller flyers instead of full-page flyers. Though my flyers included the essential points for my campaign, smaller flyers would be easier to carry around and save more paper. Final advice: Don ' t be afraid of making mistakes or talking to people when campaigning, because JCLers, along with your sponsors and state, will always be there to support you.